//------------------------------// // Just Another Day // Story: Vinyl Scratch: Nightmare Hunter // by War Muffin //------------------------------//                         Vinyl Scratch Scratch : Nightmare Hunter                                 Just Another Night         “Thank you, everypony! I hope you all had a wubtastic time!” Vinyl Scratch said as she walked off stage. She was a typical mare. She had a job, a marefriend, and a house in the small town of Firelight Village. But she was more. She was a secret protector of Equestria- She was a nightmare hunter.         “You were great tonight!” Octavia, the marefriend mentioned above, walked over and nuzzled her cheek. It had been three years now that they've been dating, and Vinyl trusted her with every secret. . “Will you be coming home tonight?”         “Sorry, Tavi, but one will be in Appaloosa tonight,” Vinyl said. She had recently caught wind of nightmare haunting near the town and wanted to check it out.         “I wish you wouldn't do this. You know how much I worry about your health.”         “I know, I know! But somepony has to do this, or all of Equestria could be destroyed.”         “Fine, but promise me you’ll come home safe,” Octavia helped Vinyl down from the stage, “And you have to stay home tomorrow night.”         “Fine, fine. I will. Now, we have to hurry, my train will be leaving soon and I need to get my equipment from the house.” The stars entwined with each other, forming constellations  Vinyl had never seen before. The image of a mare sat on the face of the moon watching over Equestria. It couldn't have been anymore perfect.         “I never saw nights like this in Canterlot,” Octavia said, “It was always much too bright.”         “I know how you feel. That’s one of the reasons I left Las Pegasus. I love the peace and quiet of a small town.”         “And the privacy!” Octavia joked. They both laughed and talked until they arrived at their home, where Vinyl got her stuff. Octavia hugged her and wished the best before she had to leave, a tear in her eyes from another night alone in their small town home.         As Vinyl walked through the town, she planned how to get rid of the nightmare. Her bag was packed with many different discs and herbs. She also had a small switchblade in case something happened and she couldn’t use her magic.         She came upon the train station just in time to catch her train. She took one last look back at Firelight Village, taking in the peace before having to listen to the train for the next two hours. The whistle blew signalling it was time to board.Vinyl walked down the train carts reading the numbers on the doors. 204, 205, 206 “Here it is!” she said as she walked in the door marked 207. It was a small room with nothing more than a drawer and a bed. A single candle sat unlit atop the drawer. She pulled back the neatly tucked covers and laid down for a short nap. It didn't take long for her to slip into a dream. She was sitting beside Octavia on a beach. Young foals splashed in the water as their mothers sunned themselves. She heard the sound of an ice cream truck and looked over to where it was coming from. A pegasus mare handed her son an ice cream.         “Look out!” She heard somepony yell before a ball hit her in the head, jolting her awake. She looked around her surroundings, seeing that the train was still moving. She looked at the moon through the window. A sigh escaped her before she turned around, seeing a pair of dark, amber eyes staring at her from the corner.         “What? Where did you come from?” She gasped.         “You’re the best they have to offer? The guild must really be slipping if they had to send a mare that easy to surprise.” Scratch’s eyes adjusted, revealing a dark purple body.         “What guild? And who are you?”         “You dare have the nerve to ask that? To ask who I, the nightmare you seek, am? Just how uninformed are you, that you do not know who I am?” The nightmare asked.         “Wha-what do you mean?”         “Hmph, how pathetic. Tell you what, hunter, if you survive the trip, I will tell you who I am,” the nightmare said as she faded into the darkness.         “What do you mean, survive the trip?” she asked the empty room. Everything was silent, not even the train made sound as it traveled down the tracks.         Knock knock         Vinyl turned to the door.         Knock knock         It sounded again. She walked over the door and put her ear up to the door. She could hear the quiet whisper of a filly asking to let her in. The door opened just enough for a small, green unicorn to slip in. Tears were streaming down the side of her face.         “What’s wrong?” Vinyl asked.         “My mommy was *sniff* was a-attacked by a m-monster!”         “It’s okay, you're safe now. what’s your name?”         “My name is Misty Pool,” the filly said.         “Misty Pool? That’s a beautiful name. My name is Vinyl,” Vinyl said, trying to bring comfort to the filly.         “Ca-can you save my mommy?”         “Where is she?”         “We were staying in room 201. Please Hurry!”         Vinyl looked out into the hall. The walls had claw marks running down them and some of the doors had been beaten down. Stepping into the hall, the sound of a snarling beast came to her ear. It had been waiting for her on the ceiling by her room. Four Legs and a tail lined with spikes swung at her.  She barely jumped out of the way of the tail as a spike brushed her nose.         “What is this thing?” She starred as the fearsome beast swung at her again, cutting her clear across the face. She tried to run down the hall, only to be cut off by another monster. It swiped a claw across Vinyl’s face, forcing her back into the other. The beast wrapped its tail around legs, lifting her in the air.         This is the end. I’m going to die here. She thought as she was dropped from the air. Her life flashed before her eyes as the world around her slowly grew cold. But when she hit the beast, she felt something else. Stone!         “Well look at what we got here, a couple of nightmare manticores!” A voice sounded down the hallway, followed by a couple of snickers. Three ponies walked out of the shadows to where Vinyl could see them.         “Piece of cake! I’ll have them running back to the nightmare realm in a matter of minutes!” A black pegasus with a scythe on his flank chirped up as the grey unicorn next to him grabbed him by the tail.         “Are you an idiot? You know damn well that you can’t rush a manticore! Especially if it’s a nightmare!”         “We don’t need another Phil on our hooves,” the other, a white pegasus, added as the still standing nightmare charged, crashing through the petrified one. Vinyl, who was still standing lying on the statue as it shattered, fell onto the head of the nightmare. Feeling that his prey was now in reach, it bucked around to throw her off.         “Now! While its distracted with the hunter wanna-be!” The unicorn let go, and the black pegasus took off. He flew underneath the nightmare, grabbing its tail and slammed it into the wall.         “Ow!” Vinyl cried as she hit the wall with the nightmare, “That hurt!”         “Don’t look at me, you’re the dumbass who didn’t get out of the way,” The pegasus landed next to her, a big grin on his face.         “Give it a rest,” the white pegasus sighed as she pulled a little, red cube out of her saddlebag. She clicked a button on the side and threw it at the nightmare. It instantly burst, creating a portal that sucked the nightmare and the shattered statue into it.         “Now then,” she looked at Vinyl, “Are you okay? Can you tell me your name?”         “I-I’m Vinyl Scratch, Who are you?” Vinyl asked as she looked at the pegasus, now seeing her red cross and halo cutie mark.         “My name is Light Star. I’m the team’s medic,” The white pegasus said.         “I’m Dark Star! I kill things!” The black pegasus proudly stated.         The unicorn smacked him, “No need to be so modest,”  he turned to Vinyl, “ I’m Stone Hoof. There should have been another unicorn around here somewhere.” He looked back over his shoulders.         “I’m right here,” the voice came from Vinyl’s room, “I was looking to see if she dragged anypony else into the Nightmare Realm.” Misty Pool, now much bigger, walked out of her room.         “I’m confused, what the hay is going on here?” Vinyl asked.         “You’re hunting the nightmare, correct?” Light Star asked.         “Yes, but that doesn't explain anything!”         Light Star sighed, “Hopeless. We’ll just explain on the way home. Come along now.” Light Star lead the group towards the back of the train where the ponies had set up a base camp. Weapons Vinyl had never seen before lined the walls.                  “What are these things?” Vinyl asked holding up one of the peculiar weapons.         “It’s called a gun. We found it one day while fighting the nightmares, and put it down. It’s insanely deadly” Dark Star said.         “It came from another world. This way, we have someone who would like to speak to you,” Stone Hoof said. His magic brushed some curtains aside, revealing a dark room.         “Come in,” a voice sounded from the room, “I don’t always bite.”         Vinyl looked at Light Star, who nodded to her. As she walked into the room, light filtered in through the windows. She looked out the window only to see the moon still up.         “They’re magic. They trap light in here and make anything outside the room see only darkness,” an orange earth pony sat at a desk on the far side of the room. “ I’m Captain Fireball, and you are?”         “You can call me Vinyl. What were those creatures that attacked me earlier?” Vinyl asked.         “Those were the nightmares of some manticores. They’ve been known to destroy entire cities. You’re very lucky we found you,” Fireball got up and trotted to a window. “Tell me, what the fuck were you thinking?”         “I was coming to fight the nightmare. I didn’t expect it to be that dangerous!”         “What do you think nightmares are? Daisies?” His voice was becoming angry.         “I thought there would only be one, not three!” Vinyl snapped back at him.         “Three? We only received reports of two,” Fireball said.         “One came to my room. It said something about a guild.”         “What did it look like?”         “Dark purple with amber eyes, and it was an alicorn” Vinyl said, “Why?”         A grim expression grew across Fireball’s face as he said, “That is the nightmare of a powerful demon. No wonder we were only told of two.” He began pacing around the room, muttering curses to himself. He suddenly looked up and charged towards the door, “We need to get off this train now!”         “Why? Is something wrong?” Light Star asked.         “Nightmare Fang is waiting for us in Appaloosa!” Fireball was panicking.          “So what? It’s just another nightmare” Dark Star said.         “Not this nightmare. This is the nightmare of a fallen alicorn, I doubt even Stone Hoof could stand up to her,” Light Star told him.         “It’s too late to get off. We’re here,” Misty Pool began, “Gather your equipment, this is gonna be one hell of a fight.”         The train slowed down as it entered the station. The guild ponies stepped off, each heavily armored. Captain Fireball lead the group towards the center of town, where they set up a defensive perimeter. Vinyl watched as they moved around to strategic ambush positions.         Soon after the ponies were hidden, the air around Vinyl grew cold. “So, you survived my pets. I guess I owe you an explanation as to who I am,” the twisted shadows of nightmare bats flew overhead, joining together to form the nightmare Vinyl saw on the train. "I am Nightmare Fang, the nightmare of the fallen alicorn of animals."         "I don't care who you are," Vinyl said, "You're a nightmare and must be destroyed."         Nightmare Fang began to laugh at her, "And just how do you plan to do that? With this pathetic attempt for an ambush?" Her horn began to glow and the guild ponies were thrown from their hiding places. "Nothing escapes my eyes."         Misty Pool limped up to Vinyl from where she was thrown into some barrels, "I hope your ready to die." She lifted her head and sent a magic spear flying towards Nightmare Fang, stabbing into her torso. Stone Hoof raised a boulder and flung it in his magic while Fireball and Dark Star slammed into her from the sides, and Light Star threw out another cube, oe that could heal the injured ponies. The nightmare just laughed at them.         "Cut it out! You're starting to tickle me!" She lowered her horn and charged at Misty Pool and Vinyl, who just barely stepped out of the way. Vinyl shot a beam of sound out of her horn that managed to deafen the nightmare. "Nice try, but I have eyes and ears everywhere!"         The sounds of creaking mice and birds flapping their wings came from every direction as the miniature nightmares crawled and flew out from buildings and crates. One bird swooped at Stone Hoof, scratching his face. Numerous mice surrounded Light Star, jumping on her wings and pulling her to the ground as they ripped her feathers off. Captain Fireball was being lifted by a nightmare vulture.         "Dark Star! Get them off me!" He yelled as he was lifted higher into the air.         "On the way!" The black pegasus shook some nightmare mice off him and flew up to his captain. He swatted at the nightmare until it Fireball dropped out of it's claws, plummeting into a cart of hay. Light Star, who managed to escape the nightmare mice with a few feathers left, pulled the healing cube she was using earlier to him.         "Thanks," he said before charging back into the horde of nightmare birds and mice.         Vinyl looked for where Nightmare Fang went. Maybe if she could find her, she could break the control she has over the nightmares. She saw a few mice running in and out of a storage building and guessed that was where Nightmare Fang was hiding. She ran to the window to peek inside. She saw Nightmare Fang inside, sitting on a crate as a pair nightmare lions patrolled the floor.         Great, she thought, how will I get through them?         She heard a roar and noticed one of the lions charging at the window she was hiding behind. It leaped through, sending shards of glass into Vinyl's back.         "Agh!" She gasped in pain. The lion turned back towards her and roared. It reared up ready to strike when a blast of magic sent it flying to the side. She looked over and saw Misty Pool nod at her.         The lion stood back up, roared, and charged at vinyl again. She ducked under it and raised the switchblade she brought with her. The blade cut through the beast's hide, leaving it sliding across the ground in pain. The black blood of a nightmare dripped down her blade and onto her hoof. Some nightmare birds flew out of a barn loft at her, grabbing the knife from her hoof.         "Give that back!" She screamed and let loose a powerful blast of magic, evaporating the nightmare where it flew.         "Retreat!" Fireball commanded, "There's to many of them!"         Dark Star lifted Light Star into the air and carried her off back to the train while Stone Hoof helped Misty Pool get to safety. Vinyl grabbed her switchblade from where it landed and ran to help Fireball. The other nightmare lion had come out now and was chasing him into a horde of the mice.         ROAR! the sound scratched through the air. Vinyl looked up and saw what appeared to be a dragon flying right for her.         "Is there anything that isn't going to try and kill me tonight?" she asked.         "Yeah, that dragon!" Fireball said, looking more confident now. The dragon picked up the lion and ate it as a pony jumped off it's side. The pony was cloaked from head to tail in a dark blue cloak, and stood not much higher than her knees.         "Hiya! I'm Rain! Wanna play a game, Miss Scratch?" The tiny pony asked.         This has to be some cruel joke, she thought. Why, of all things, did a small foal have to be here. Then she thought of how Misty Pool disguised herself as a scared little fill, but noticed he had no horn. She couldn't even see his mouth or eyes. Not even his mane or tail could be seen.         "Yes, yes she does, Rain!" Fireball said, pushing the a bird off him.         "Yay! Let's see who can make the loudest sound!" He bounced up to Vinyl and handed her a guitar he produced from nowhere. Vinyl, confused, took the guitar and strummed. It wasn't very loud, but it did make some sound.         "Now its my turn!" The colt took the guitar back and made it vanish.         Fireball called over to her, "Take cover! This is gonna hurt!"         She ran over to where he had ducked behind a building. Behind her, only the colt and the unending army of nightmare mice and birds. When she got behind the building, Fireball handed her some cork he found in one of the barrels and told her to put them in her ears. She put them in and looked back around the corner at the young, masked colt. He was crouching down, saying something Vinyl could barely here over the cork.         "Sooooonic.... Raaaaain.......BOOM!" He puffed out his chest as a rainbow shot out in all directions around him. The blast knocked Vinyl back, taking the air from her lungs. When she recovered, Stone Hoof was standing next to her, trying to get her on her feet. She looked back to where the colt was. All the nightmares were sprawled on the ground writhing in pain as a vapor escaped their bodies. The clearing was covered in ice and many of the buildings had taken heavy damage, if they were even still standing.         "The ocean's mist and the frozen north! We stand beside nature, for we are the..." Rain looked over to where the guild ponies were and stopped singing, "I win!"         Vinyl was dumbfound. How could such a small pony contain that much power?         The dragon that dropped him off landed next to him and whispered something in his ear.         "OOH! Is she here?" he jumped up in the air excitedly. He ran to the remains of the storage Nightmare Fang was in.         Vinyl started to run after him when Light Star put a hoof in her way. "Watch," she said.         After a few moments, a scream ripped through the silence. Nightmare Fang ran out of the building, badly beaten and bruised, with Rain hopping along behind her.         "I'm not done playing with you!" he said. An invisible force pulled Nightmare Fang back into the ruined building, the doors slamming shut behind her. Vinyl could hear the nightmare screaming and begging for mercy. She couldn't even imagine what he could be doing to her.         After a few minutes, Rain came back out with a pen and some paper. "Blu!!!!!!" he called. The dragon he rode stomped up to him. "I have a letter to send to her royal bitchiness!"         He lifted the scroll up and the dragon shot out a wave of icy wind, evaporating the scroll. Rain bounded over to Vinyl. "Are you gonna join my guild? Is Octavia joining to!!?" The idea seemed to excite him.         Vinyl was discomforted that he seemed to know her and Octavia, "How do you know about her? And how do you know me?"         Rain stared at her for a second before saying, "I dunno.... Bluuuuu!" The blue dragon bounded over. "How do I know her?"         The dragon whispered in his ear, "Oh yeah! That's how!" he said proudly.         "I didn't hear anything, " she said with a sigh.         "She's in! She's joining the guild!" Rain jumped in the air and took off.         "I never..." She was cut off by Blu belching out scroll.         Rain picked it up and began to read aloud,         Dear Rain,         I will send my guards to bring Nightmare Fang to me. Once again, I must thank you for defeating yet another nightmare alicorn. Your guild has been by far one of the biggest assets to Equestria's security. I will have your rewards delivered to the usual spot, and an extra for the friend you mentioned. I expect more will appear in the next few weeks, and ask that you be ready for my call. I look forward to the next time we meet.                                                                 Sincerely,                                                                 Princess Celestia P.S. Please quit referring to me as "Your Royal Bitchiness." I know what it means now.         "I wonder what it'll be this time!" Rain hoped on Blu and flew off.         "Is there something wrong with him?" Vinyl asked.         "We don't know," Stone Hoof knelt down so he didn't tower over them as much, "But we should be getting you home."         It was a quiet ride back to Firelight Village. The guild ponies told stories of adventures they've gone on. They told her that the guild was much bigger than the six ponies Vinyl met tonight, and included more than just ponies, but griffins as well. There was even a tiger that stayed with Rain.         "When Rain was reading the letter, he said 'yet another nightmare alicorn'. Does this mean you've fought more?" Vinyl asked.         "Yes, that's actually where we got some of the weapons you saw earlier. We've fought two, well three now. It was when one of them attacked our home that Light Star and I joined the guild," Dark Star said.         "The nightmare of time itself," Light Star said. "It killed our parents right in front of us."         "That's when Stone Hoof and some other guild members showed up and saved us," the massive unicorn looked away embarrassed by the praise, "And he took us into the guild."         "And how did you join the guild, Stone Hoof?" Vinyl asked.         "I used to be a traveler. I was on my way to Manehattan when the caravan I was with at the time was attacked by nightmare wolves. The guild saved me and I felt like I owed them," he said.         "And you, Fireball?"         "Same as them, I was saved by the guild," was all he said. "We're here. Think about Rain's offer. Somepony will deliver your share of the reward soon. Tell them if you accept or not. Misty Pool, get her out of the Nightmare Realm."         "Right," she cast a spell on Vinyl, and the ponies were gone and the sound of the train came back.         Octavia was waiting for her when she got off the train, "Vinyl! I'm so glad your home! You're bleeding? What happened?"         "There were more than I thought. I probably wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for a guild of nightmare hunters showing up and saving me," Vinyl told her.         "Vinyl," Octavia sounded serious, "You can't keep putting yourself in danger. What would I do If I lost you?"         "I'd rather die fighting than curled up like a coward," Vinyl replied.         Octavia sighed and ushered Vinyl back home. When they arrived at their small, red home, there was a letter stuck to the door. Octavia took it down and read it.         "What's it say?' Vinyl asked.         "It say to expect visitors soon. Do you know what it could mean?" Octavia asked her. Vinyl nodded and told her about the ponies she meet and the offer to join them. "Will you do it? Join them I mean."         "I don't know. It sounds like a good offer."         "But think of the danger. We may never see each other again!" Octavia's eyes grew wide in fear of losing her only love.         "Well..." Vinyl started.         "What is it?"         "The pony who "asked" me to join asked if you were joining to. He wouldn't tell me how he knew us," Vinyl answered the unasked question.         "If it means I get to see you safe, I'll come to," Vinyl noticed the relief in her voice that she could finally join in her mare friend's endeavor.         They stood there for a few more minutes thinking about what they would do before going into the house. Octavia fetched some bandages to put on Vinyl's wounds before making spaghetti for them to eat. They ate in silence, each contemplating joining the guild. Octavia had no experience in dealing with nightmares and would be in danger of getting hurt.         "I'm going to bed," Octavia finally said, "I'll see you in the morning."         "Goodnight," Vinyl said.